The number and popularity of wireless communications devices in use continues to rise rapidly all over the world. Not only have cellular telephones become very popular, but Wireless Local Area Networking (WLAN) devices have also proliferated. One standard for wireless networking, which has been widely accepted, is the Specification of the Bluetooth System, v. 1.0 (“Bluetooth Specification”). The Bluetooth Specification enables the creation of small personal area networks (PAN's), where the typical operating range of a device is 100 meters or less. In a Bluetooth system, Bluetooth devices sharing a common channel sequence form a piconet. Two or more piconets co-located in the same area, with or without inter-piconet communications, is known as a scatternet.
The Bluetooth Specification supports voice communications between Bluetooth enabled devices. When a pair of Bluetooth devices support voice communication, the voice communications must be wirelessly supported in a continuous fashion so that carried voice signals are of an acceptable quality. Unexpected gaps, e.g., dropped packets, on the wireless link between supported Bluetooth devices causes degradation in the voice communication resulting in popping, static, or other unpleasant audible event. This problem is especially troublesome with Bluetooth devices since, in some operations, the communication link will regularly drop packets that carry the voice signals.
A further shortcoming of such operations relates to the manner in which packetized audio data is transmitted between Bluetooth devices. Consider an operation in which a first Bluetooth device transmits packetized audio data to a second Bluetooth device for presentation to a user. Because the Bluetooth WLAN supports data rates greatly in excess of those required for satisfactory voice service, each transmission from the first Bluetooth device carries a relatively large amount of packetized audio data. The duration of this transmission is typically small compared to the duration over which the second Bluetooth device will present the packetized audio data (carried in the transmission) to the user. Thus, the second Bluetooth device buffers the received packetized audio data and presents the packetized audio data (in a converted form) over an appropriate time period. However, if the packetized audio data stored in the input buffer is fully consumed prior to receipt of another transmission from the first Bluetooth device, it will appear to the second Bluetooth device that packetized audio data is lost (or severely delayed), and the second Bluetooth device will provided degraded audio to the serviced user.
Particular operational details occur during “quiet” times in the operation of wireless devices servicing voice communications. In particular, Bluetooth (and other wireless) devices that service voice communications (via packetized audio data) include Analog to Digital Converters (ADCs) and Digital to Analog Converters (DACs). The ADC of the wireless device receives an analog audio signal from a coupled microphone and converts the analog audio signal to a digital audio signal. During this conversion process, the ADC may introduce “tones” that are a byproduct of the sampling characteristics of the ADC. Likewise, the DAC receives a digital audio signal and converts the digital audio signal to an analog audio signal that it applies to coupled to a speaker. During this conversion process, the DAC may introduce “tones” to the analog audio signal that are a byproduct of the conversion process. These “tones,” while having a relatively small magnitude compared to an active signal are noticeable during “quiet” times. In the case of the ADC, “quiet” times exist when no input is provided to the microphone. In the case of the DAC, “quiet” times exist when data is lost or when incoming data contains no audio data.
Thus, there is a need for improved ADC and DAC operations for devices that serviced packetized voice communications.